About

I love remodeling! You may think I’m crazy. I don’t mind the dirt or the inconvenience that comes with it. I don’t mind that it may take a few months or even years to complete. You know why? I can see the “big picture”, the end result. I can visualize what removing a wall, adding a wall or moving a window can do to a room. And I’ve got a life of hands-on experience.

I was my dad’s helper as a young girl. He finished our basement, built barns (and fence) and maintained our family home. I was the “end of the board” holder, always by his side. I learned by watching what he did. I created houses for Barbie and I sketched house plans. When I was 12 I painted my bedroom walls – by myself – with a brush. And it was all fun!

Those lessons proved to be valuable throughout Eric (my hubby) and my lives. We have renovated two homes. The first house was almost a total re-build. It needed new foundations, wiring, plumbing and roof. We knocked out walls, moved windows, expanded rooms and added on a room. The bathroom and kitchen were both gutted and redesigned. We did it all! And of course, my dad helped! Little did we know it would be our first fixer-upper.

That house led us to another fixer-upper. A bigger house. It was an older house that had been built in the late 1890’s. Our parents called it “The Money Pit”. (Go watch the movie.) There was more tearing up and putting back together. More lessons. Different lessons.

One might think we’d had enough. But oh no! After the “big house”, Eric and I thought – “How much harder could building a new house be?” We lived in an area where it was possible to do all the building ourselves. And, we did!, hiring only the basement being dug and concrete poured, the septic system installed and the carpet laid. Seriously – Eric and I did all the rest with some help of friends and family, including my dad.

Now after having a brand new house you might think we were done. Nope! All that work, and the lessons learned, led us into our business, “MorningStar Home Specialists, Inc”. The business started as Eric having a handyman service. I soon joined the business creating faux and decorative finishes. The business has grown and changed over 20+ years. We now specialize in custom cabinet paint finishes.

But wait – our own fixer-upper story is not over. A few years ago Eric and I purchased our latest “project house”. Once again this house has required major renovations. We even survived not having a kitchen for a year. And yes – we have lived in the house during the entire overhaul.

No – it’s still not done. (We’ve been busy with helping our clients create their dreams in their homes.) But we are making progress. Please join me and I’ll share……life with our fixer-upper!

Oh, I like to cook and eat too. I’ll share a some of my fixer-upper survival recipes with you.